


Mistletoe

by Helix



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-13
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-07 09:09:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3169334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Helix/pseuds/Helix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elena is feeling in the mood for the holiday spirit, so when Katherine and Nadia shows up at her doorstep she can't say no.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sheneedstobeprotected](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheneedstobeprotected/gifts).



> This is a belated Christmas present for my good friend Laura! I hope you like it, sorry it came so late. 
> 
> Also I hope this is okay I am not fantastic at fluff D:
> 
> Also shut up, I live in a world where Nadia Petrova and Katherine Pierce are alive and well, YOU AIN'T THE BOSS OF ME, PLEC.

A soft blanket of snow covered the ground and decorated the trees, embracing the world in a veil of white. Just looking at it through the window gave her goosebumps, but they weren’t in response to cold - her body no longer felt affected by it in the same way after all - her nerves were reacting to the excitement she felt. Looking at the snow enchanted her in ways that few things could these days. In that instant, all the death, all the pain, the destruction and the loss she’d experienced in the past few years no longer existed. Instead, her eyes were captivated by the way the tiny individual crystals sparkled in the moonlight, and the glow of the festive christmas lights, flickering from colour to colour, for those who paid close enough attention. It brought up in her feelings of lighthearted joy, a desire to play in the snow and even romance, dared to bubble up. Elena was delighted.

Letting out a dreamy sigh, she finally moved away after what had felt like an eternity frozen in time, watching the snowflakes dance their way to the ground, until the cloud had passed and she basked in the beauty of it all. She walked down the hall quietly, heading to the main foyer, checking that the fire was still crackling. It seemed that in spite of the tall flames, clearly indicating a healthy fire, the sound was minimal, as if not wanting to disturb the peace in the night. The house was entirely quiet, Jeremy wasn’t home yet and neither were Stefan and Damon. She had spent the day decorating, holding on to that semblance of normality in their lives. Besides they had lost so much, they needed to hold onto each other, and the holidays celebrated togetherness. The presents were stacked under the tree, and tomorrow they’d have dinner all together, but for now Elena was allowed to have some time to herself, to get lost in her thoughts and dreams. Or so she thought. A sudden knock on the door startled her out of her reverie. It took a second for her to process, but she eventually walked over to the front door, slightly suspicious as to who would be knocking at this hour at this time of year. She had no idea, really and was not expecting any of the boys home for several more hours. Still, curiosity obliged, she pulled the heavy door open.

Standing in the fairy tale like glow of the lights, casting a ghostly shadow from the moonlight were two faces, one very familiar, one less so but still known. 

“Aw, poor Elena all alone on Christmas Eve, and here I thought you had not one, but two Salvatore boys to keep you warm through the winter.”

Elena barely had the time to roll her eyes, that a sultry voice wrapped in an Eastern European accent piped up instead.

“What Katherine means is, it’s Christmas and it would be nice to spend some time by the fireplace.” 

Upon hearing Nadia, Elena rose an eyebrow in surprise before a little smirk of amusement tugged at her lips while Katherine folded her arms across her chest looking unimpressed. 

“My lovely daughter had the potential to be a psych major, apparently.”

Neither Elena or Nadia dignified that comment, though Elena’s gaze lingered lightly on the way the light hit Katherine’s hair, or sparked up her eyes. How the cold made her cheeks rosy on an otherwise unmarred skin and she gave Nadia a full fledged smile before stepping aside for both girls to enter. No, it was not what she had planned but… wasn’t that what Christmas was supposed to be about? Even if she hadn’t felt the slightest bit warmer at seeing these two, ask in their own way (and especially Katherine) for a piece of that temporary, once a year joy and to share it, she wouldn’t have had the heart to turn them away, not when the gleam of the snow gave off such a stupidly optimistic mood, a kind of fever dream like anything were possible. Maybe even Katherine Pierce could be touched by a Christmas miracle. Though for now she stepped in as always, hips rolling and body undulating like a slick, supple cat. She had lost that predatory twist, along with her vampirism, but she had retained all the sensuality and the confidence of it. It had always elicited a diversity of reactions from Elena, many of which she acknowledged, some she did not.

Tonight her gaze lingered just a second longer on the curved lines, proudly put on display by their owner, and for a moment she wondered if this had been a good idea. Too late now. 

“Do you have anything to eat? I’m starving.”

“Uh well… yeah actually there’s probably something you can snack on, just don’t touch the things I’ve set aside and prepared for tomorrow. And Nadia, there are some blood bags in the freezer.”

Nadia gave her a smile and nodded in thanks though for, until her mother quipped up again with snark. The vampire shook her head deciding to let it go while she went to the basement where the freezer was.

“The things that you’ve prepared for tomorrow?”

“We’re having a Christmas dinner tomorrow…” the words hesitated on the tip of her lips, but finally came free when she exhaled. “You’re both welcome to stay.”

That seemed to take the older girl aback for a moment as she paused at one of the cupboards, looking back over her shoulder at Elena in the kitchen doorway, her attention momentarily held away from the treasure trove of munchables (bless the fact Jeremy had returned from the dead with the same human/hunter hunger any teenage boy would have). She considered her young doppelgänger for a moment but didn’t answer right away, instead plucking a box of chocolate cookies out of the mountain of food, and reaching for one as she turned around and walked back to her mirror image, standing in the doorway. Elena watched her curiously for any sign of gratitude - even if it was a Katherine brand of gratitude - as she walked towards her. Katherine ate an other cookie and tilted her head lightly to the side, the playfulness of the gesture for once not seeming malicious to her, if still wrapped in mischief. 

“Well, it’s worth sticking around if only for the meal,” she acknowledged finally. “I just wanted to know who to torment if the food turns out terrible.”

Elena shook her head but her eyes met Katherine’s again, and for a moment, both remained silent, not unlike the first time they had met. She could feel her own, undead pulse throbbing inside her neck and she could hear her doppelgänger’s very vital one. They held onto the moment, neither of them moving or uttering a word, almost spellbound into this rare moment when they were alone, and not caught in the crossfire of confrontation or mutual hatred. And then, the echo of footsteps broke the spell and Elena promptly turned towards Nadia, spotting the blood bag in her hand.

“You can warm it up with the microwave or the stove if you prefer it warm,” she instructed, a hint of nervousness showing in the way she tuck back a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Warm is indeed nice. I prefer it from the vein, but I think we all do, don’t we?”

Elena made a face. Yes, she preferred it from the vein but she knew that if she said that out loud, Katherine would find a way to mock her for it. 

“The mugs are in the upper right cabinet, and the pots are under the sink. Feel free to look around, if you need anything let me know.”

“I told her to make herself at home since she’s been here before and that’s just what everyone ends up doing anyway, but apparently she insists on being polite.”

The taller woman gracefully passed by her mother in the doorway, stopping briefly as she noticed the mistletoe hanging from it. Katherine was eating yet an other cookie and was surprised by Nadia’s sudden gesture, her daughter embracing her with one arm, pressing her against her own body, and kissing the side of her head. Elena burst out laughing and Katherine gave Nadia a look, who winked at her before heading towards the cupboards to get a mug.

“Well at least she didn’t get her manners from you,” teased Elena before turning around to head towards the fireplace.

The lights in the house stayed off in most rooms, and low in others, to more fully emphasize the beauty of the tree and the christmas decorations glowing. She sat by the fire, eventually being joined by the other two who sometimes spoke to one an other in Bulgarian, but transitioned back and forth to English. Nadia made an effort to thank Elena and to get to know her a little better, asking questions, and answering hers. And Elena had to admit she was a little curious too, after all Nadia’s story was the prelude to her own. It seemed the Petrova women had more than just the tragedy of the doppelgänger running through their mother-daughter line, but the tragedy of often being separated from one an other too young. Elena was the first to break the cycle, and, as far as anyone knew, the one to permanently break it. It touched her heart to know that she could relate to Nadia’s disappointment in regards to her biological mother the same way Elena had been when faced with Isobel… but unlike them, Nadia and Katherine had more time to mend their bond, something she envied them.

The night kept trickling away, until eventually the boys came home. Damon nearly had an aneurysm when he saw Katherine was there, while Matt was thrilled to see Nadia. It was a little messy for a while, but eventually everyone settled, and complaints were corked with some bourbon. Verbal venom turned to laughter which died down as everyone went to bed. But as the house grew quiet once more, Elena remained lost in her thoughts, sitting by the dying fire. She lost all perception of time as she watched the flames dance and flicker quietly above the embers. Her mind was on Katherine again, and she didn’t know why, didn’t understand why her pulse had quickened earlier when it was just the two of them, what had that silence meant, especially for one who was almost never at loss for words such as Katherine. She almost didn’t hear the soft footfalls that came her way.

“Oh, you’re still here.”

She looked up to find Katherine looking down at her. There was a beat as they looked each other in the eye, faces both sculpted by the frivolous lights and shadows of the fire, but yet perfectly illuminating their gazes, peering into one an other’s soul. Elena finally broke away.

“You sound surprised.”

Katherine shrugged as she moved, sitting down on the couch. Maybe she just had expected Elena to be in bed with Stefan or Damon, being all disgustingly cuddly, not alone here by the fire. In fact, Katherine had hoped she would have some time to herself. Yes she had hated the last 500 years of solitude, but she still had some work to do, in her mind and in her heart to get used to the fact maybe this time was over. As well as to think over the thoughts that had been bouncing around in her head, the secret feelings she’d barely admitted to herself, buried under the curiosity she’d felt ever since she met Elena. Which was normal in some regards - just like it had been for Isobel - but all too… forbidden in others. Not that Katherine usually hesitated to bite into the forbidden fruit but this was slightly different. Maybe because deep down, the consequences actually mattered to her. The signification, what it meant, if she gave into the temptation this time, would be harder to play off. Especially now that she was no longer a vampire. But… Nadia had unwittingly given her notice of the decorations around the house. And now she had a golden opportunity. She could only hope that Elena wasn’t listening in on her heart drumming madly against her chest, before she made her move.

She turned on the couch to look at the younger girl, leaning in with a fluid gesture, her hand following as it reached to cup a delicate cheek, as Katherine brought her lips to Elena’s, closing her eyes. She sighed almost drowning out the deafening sound of her own pulse, as she gave in fully to the sensation, tasting for the first time, this fruit she had craved for so long. Elena was too surprised to do or say anything, but she could feel goosebumps rising all over her skin, like when she’d felt the excitement earlier on at watching the snowfall. She swallowed thickly as she felt their lips come a part. What was this? Some kind of game? Or was it simply them consummating the, up until now, unavowed feelings they shared. She was almost scared to respond to the kiss, as natural as it felt to want to surrender to the sweet lips upon her own. And then, as if the older girl had read her mind, she murmured an explanation. It was more of an excuse, for the world around them, but it was perfect.

“Mistletoe.”

Elena smiled, then immediately closed the gap again, fingers tangling into Katherine’s curls as she brought her closer, breath hot and short, but still so sweet against her mouth, finding their truth as they ironically hid underneath an illusion to their pretenses. 

Yes, if anyone else asked, that would be her answer.

Mistletoe.


End file.
